


The Boy Next Door

by meathermac



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Angst, Boyf, Fluff, M/M, These tags are out of control, angst! and fluff! and my signature circle writing!, i can't tell which of my boyfs fics is gayer, i changed the bathroom scene aaaa its much gayer, i was watching the grilled cheesus episode too so be proud, i was wrting this while watching glee but i did manage to keep the references out of this, i wrote the new bathroom scene as i was watching the sad parts of grilled cheesus specifically, please don't ask where the idea from the came from i just typed out the first sentence and poof, riends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 15:50:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11992947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meathermac/pseuds/meathermac
Summary: There's a boy who lives next door and Jeremy has a lot to say about him.





	The Boy Next Door

There’s a boy that lives next door to Jeremy that he’s been in love with since kindergarten. 

Now, kindergarten Jeremy didn’t know this, because kindergarten Jeremy still thought the word gay was that weird adjective in that one Christmas song.

The boy who lives next door’s name is Michael. Jeremy knows this because he met him after the first day of kindergarten when the shy little six-year-old came over with his mom and some brownies and eagerly shoved them into Jeremy’s arms. 

“They’re a welcome present! Cause you just moved here!” the boy said. “I’m Michael!”   


“Maybe you could talk to Michael for a little bit, Jeremy? You two go to the same kindergarten, don’t you?” Jeremy’s mom suggested.    


Jeremy nodded and let the other boy drag him outside. Michael sat down on the grass outside of Jeremy’s house, and Jeremy sat down slowly. 

“What do you like, Jeremy?”   


“I like video games, and I like - “

“I like video games too!” Michael interrupted. “I can’t play a lot of them, but I will, someday!”

“That’s cool.”

Michael grabbed Jeremy’s hand and tugged him up. “I have a swingset in my backyard. Do you wanna play?”   


“But won’t our parents be mad if we leave?”   


Michael grinned. “It’ll be fine. I live right next door, don’t I?”

 

They’ve been best friends ever since. First grade through sixth grade, the two of them stuck side by side. It worked out well for Jeremy, helped him get through those five years. Michael’s his best friend, and he’d do anything for him. There was a week in sixth grade where Michael started acting a little weird around him, but things quickly went back to normal and Jeremy just brushed it off. 

 

Jeremy tugged on Michael’s arm. “Michael. MIiiichael. Do you wanna come over?”

Michael blinked a couple times. “Yeah, sure.”   


“Oh, you have to be more enthusiastic than that!”   


“Enthusiastic? Do you even know how to spell that, Jer-Bear?” Michael teased. 

“I know how to pronounce it, and I know what it means.”

“Close enough. If I’m coming over, we have to get going.”   


They walked home (the elementary school wasn’t too far away) and Michael said he’d be right over, but he had to stop at his house for something really quickly. Jeremy hugged him goodbye and turned and headed to his house. Michael came over fifteen minutes later. Jeremy  _ still  _ doesn’t know what he was doing. But they played video games until Jeremy’s parents kicked Michael out. 

 

There’s a boy that lives next door to Jeremy that’s so unapologetically  _ him  _ Jeremy can’t help but be in awe. 

Michael came out to Jeremy via a rainbow patch on his favorite red hoodie. 

Okay, that’s not exactly true, because Jeremy is about as observant as a doorknob, so Michael did have to explain it to him, but still. 

 

“Michael, what’s with the rainbow patch?”

Michael fidgeted with his hoodie strings. “Oh, I - “   


“I like it,” Jeremy interrupted. “I think it looks cool! What’s it mean?”

“It means I’m gay, Jeremy.”

“Say what now?”   


MIchael took a deep breath. “Jer, it means I like guys. Not girls.”   


“Didn’t you have a crush on Nicole from Science?”

“No. When did I say that?”

“Like, a month ago?”   


“I never - anyways, it’s rainbow ‘cause it’s a pride patch.”   


“Oooh. Cool.” 

Michael stayed silent, playing with his hoodie string some more.

“Do you think I’m gay?” Jeremy asked thoughtfully. 

Michael sighed. “I don’t know, Jeremy. Are you attracted to guys instead of girls?”   


“Not really.”   


“Then no, you’re not gay. Glad we could chat.”   


“Do you wanna come over after school?”   


He smiled. “Always, Jer.”

 

There’s a boy who lives next door who’s really messing with Jeremy’s sexuality.

He’s not gay. He’s sure of that. He had a crush on Christine, he had a crush on Brooke, but he’s also pretty sure he has a crush on Michael and it’s screwing with him. 

Jeremy was like, forty-seven percent sure that he had a crush on Michael. That number was steadily progressing upwards, and Jeremy was kind of freaking out.

 

He put his feet up on the edge of the couch. “Michael, how did you know you were gay?”   


“You’re asking me this now? Jer, I came out to you in seventh grade.”

Jeremy threw a pillow at him. “Answer the question, Mikey.”   


Michael threw the pillow back at him, laughing. “I guess I just started noticing that I never really had crushes on girl's? And I knew I definitely had a crush on a guy, so…”   
“Can you have crushes on both girls and boys?”

“Yeah, it’s called being bisexual or pansexual. Are you trying to tell me something Heere, Jer?” MIchael chuckled at his joke. 

“No, just curious.”

“Bi-curious, or…?”

“Oh, shut up!” Jeremy threw another pillow at him, which Michael deflected, laughing.

“Dude, we need to be popular,” Jeremy said decisively.

“We will be, someday. I don’t mind being uncool, as long as you’re uncool with me.”

“That’s sweet, Michael.”

“Yeah.” Michael smiled. “Come on, we’ll be cool in college. Only two and a half years left, huh?”

“Two and a half years left.” Jeremy smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

 

There’s a boy who lives next door that Jeremy hasn’t seen in weeks.

And he doesn’t even care. 

The SQUIP told him he never had a chance with Michael anyway, so he set his sights on Christine. 

He’s popular now, so it doesn’t matter if he’s still a little bit in love with Michael, ‘cause he’s got everything else he wanted. Brooke’s wonderful, and the SQUIP assures him that Christine is closer every day. 

And then came the night of the Halloween party. 

 

Jeremy slammed the door to the bathroom. Chloe and Jake’s screaming match wasn’t important to him anymore. 

“Jeremy?”

“Michael?” Jeremy must have had the most incredulous look on his face. 

“SQUIP got your tongue?”   


“It’s off…”   


“Yeah. You know, that thing’s gonna drive you batshit insane, Jeremy. ‘Cause eventually, you’re gonna wanna get it out, and you can’t.”   


“I’m not gonna wanna get it out - “   


“Really?” Michael cut him off. “Just cause you’ve got everything you ever wanted, it doesn’t matter that I’m not there?”

“I didn’t get everything I wanted, Michael!”

He laughed without humor. “Right. Because you still don’t have Christine. Sorry.”   


“No, Michael, ‘cause I miss having my best friend by my side! You think that just because I have this thing that I can’t still think about you? It’s not like it deleted my memories!”

“You can’t even look at me with it on!”

“Michael, it didn’t make everything I’ve ever felt about you go away or something! I still fucking love you, you idiot!”

“Did you think I didn’t know, Jeremy? Didn’t catch the way you would look at me? Couldn’t tell the way you talked was more flirty than normal? I knew, Jeremy! Of course I knew you were in love with me!”

“Then why can’t you just accept that I’m not the same person anymore? I still love you, Mikey!”   


“Yeah, well, maybe I don’t love you anymore, Jeremy! Ever stop to think that while you were off chasing girls and getting popular, I was living the other side of it?”

“I fucking know that now, Michael, but it’s not like this thing doesn’t make my life a living hell!”   


“So the SQUIP convinced you that you can’t love me.”   


“Not love you! Be in love with you! Cause I have been! Since kindergarten! Since seventh grade! Since sophomore year!” Jeremy yelled. 

Michael froze. “Get out.” He said coldly. 

“W-what?”

“I said, get out, Jeremy.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so. Turn the damn SQUIP on if you must. But get out.”   
  


There’s a boy who lives next door that Jeremy can’t get his mind off of.

It’s been three weeks since the play, since his and Michael’s social status got bumped up to the popular kids, since he had to finally work up the courage to talk to Michael and talk about what happened that night. 

Just kidding. He hadn’t done that yet. The rest of the group could very obviously see the tension between the two, but didn’t comment on it. 

Eventually, Michael cornered him after school, and dragged him into the empty auditortium.

 

“Jer, we need to talk.”

“Later?”

“No. Now, while we’re both here.”   


“Michael, you’re almost six feet tall. I couldn’t get past you if I tried.”

“Perfect. Now, Jer, we need to talk about the night.”

“What do you want me to say? I’m still definitely in love with you, I just…”   


“Just what?”   


“Just don’t know, Michael.”   


“Why? Cause I told you to get out? I’m really sorry about that.”

“Michael, it’s cause everything the SQUIP did is still  _ there  _ and I can’t help but think that every time I even look at you I’m gonna get shocked or -” Michael cut him off by hugging him. 

“Jeremy, as long as I’m around, the SQUIP won’t ever hurt you. Okay? I promise.”   


“Michael, you can’t even see the thing - “ Jeremy giggled.

“Shhh, Jer-Bear, I’m gonna fight the thing if I have to.”

“Very sweet of you, Michael.”   


“Can I kiss you?”

“Thought you’d never ask.” Jeremy and Michael stayed like that, Jeremy’s arms around Michael’s waist and Michael’s around Jeremy’s neck, until Christine opened the door to the auditorium, and the two boys broke apart. They separated quickly, both staring down at the ground. 

Christine glanced in between the two. “Were you just - “   


Michael nodded. 

“In the auditorium?”

Jeremy nodded. 

“Are you kidding me?” She laughed. 

Rich glanced into the room. “Yo, we doing play practice or not?”

“Come in here and help me embarrass these two some more, Rich.”   


He stood next to her, crossing his arms. “What’d they do?”   


“Michael? Jeremy? Would you like to tell him?”

“We were kissing in the auditorium when Christine walked in.” Jeremy mumbled.

Rich laughed. “Get some, Heere!”   


“This is simultaneously the best and most embarrassing day of my life.” Michael said. 

“Good. Teach you two to kiss on my stage again.” Christine smirked. 

“Your stage?” Rich said. “Chris, there is no way this thing belongs to you, we’re all in the drama club -”   


“Oh, you can’t even act…” Christine and Rich bickered as they walked out.

Jeremy turned to Michael. “We have two options. Stay here, and keep making out, and hope that Chris and Rich didn’t go get the rest of our friends, or go home, and risk getting yelled at for not hanging around.”

“Even if they did go get the rest of our friends, I think we have a solid ten minutes before they make it back here. So, first option.”   


“Nice math, lover boy.” Chloe taunted from the auditorium doors. “But you’re off, ‘cause we were right around the corner.”

“Oh, c’mon, Choe!” Michael whined. 

“Find a straw, and suck it up, Mikey. Yo, SQUIP squad, rehearsal time!” 

Jeremy snuck a quick kiss on Michael’s cheek. “Come over after school. You’re still the boy next door, aren’t you?”

 

There’s a boy who lives next door that Jeremy loves with all his heart.

 

**Author's Note:**

> honestly michael's terrible math is based on a true story except i wasn't making out with someone i was just belting santa fe


End file.
